I am on the hunt for an 11 or 12m for those 14 - 16 knot desperation days, where my 9m is not quite enough. I would appreciate people’s feedback on which North kite to get, as I cannot test them. I currently ride for the most part ride strapless, with the odd bit of tt boosting on Neo’s 5,7,9 in a very weekend warrior kook style.

I have heard that the Neo in those sizes is pretty slow. Therefore, I had been thinking about a 16 or 17 model Dice, due to the faster turning speed. But now the 2018 model evo has come out.... I am wondering if that may be the better option. I am thinking that the shape of the evo looks like it may have a better low end, meaning that I could drop down to an 11m.

The first few years Ken was designing the Neo they were EXTREMELY powerful. Since then he's worked on increasing the top end and shaving just a bit of grunt off the low end each year. Back then the 12m was a bit of a dog for turning speed, but I believe it's improved every year since, especially for 2018. I don't spend a ton of time on the 12m, but from what I can tell from flying other sizes and from feedback from riders the 2018 Neo 12m is pretty damn sporty (for a 12).

As far as low-end, even though the Evo looks like a grunty, heavy bar-pressure delta shape it doesn't behave like it... It has tons of range, is very light on the bar, and does not have the low-end grunt of the Neo.

The Dice has sort of done the opposite of the Neo... When it first came out it had a narrow windrange with very very little grunt, and we've worked every year since then on getting more low-end power. It's WAY better now, but still not at the level of the Neo.

I tend to think that although any of those 3 kites should work for you I'd lean towards the 12m Neo. A. you're used to the feel of the Neo, and B. they are known for their low-end power, so it makes sense to get that model for your lightwind kite. That said, if anyone has any experience on the larger 2018 Evos and Neos I'd be real curious to hear your thoughts.

I have found the 12Neo to be the solution for a 12m for me. It has as good or better power than any other 12 I've tried(many), turns faster than most while offering the customized bridal option. I had an 11m EVO and it was great but was def not as good a kite for my purposes as the Neo 12m.
While the dice is as fun to fly as any kite out there(i had a full quiver), it def is not as powerful as either.
+1 Neo

I have found the 12Neo to be the solution for a 12m for me. It has as good or better power than any other 12 I've tried(many), turns faster than most while offering the customized bridal option. I had an 11m EVO and it was great but was def not as good a kite for my purposes as the Neo 12m.
While the dice is as fun to fly as any kite out there(i had a full quiver), it def is not as powerful as either.
+1 Neo

Thanks, finally someone ridden all these kites. However, what year models were they, please? Dice 2018 for example should have more lowend to previous year's models.